Allison Schmitt dresses up as Michael Phelps for Halloween

Allison Schmidt dresses up as swimming legend Michael Phelps to celebrate Halloween, sharing snaps of herself in a Michael Phelps swimming cap, shorts, jacket, and his signature headphones. In the photos, she is seen posing with Phelps' children Boomer, Beckett, and Maverick.

Sharing the pictures with her 142k Instagram followers, Schmitt wrote,

"Tis the szn, swipe to see the costume"

A history of Allison Schmitt and Michael Phelps' friendship

Allison Schmitt and Michael Phelps go a long way back. When Schmitt was enrolled at the University of Georgia, she trained with Phelps and Bob Bowman during breaks in her semester. Before the 2012 London Olympics, Schmitt took a year off from college to focus on her preparations, moving to Baltimore to train full-time with Phelps and Bowman. Her rigorous training schedule involved four hours in the pool, followed by an hour of training outside the pool, six days a week. This hard work paid off, as she walked away from the 2012 Olympics with five medals, including three golds.

However, after the London Olympics, Schmitt experienced depression due to the overwhelming attention she was receiving from the public. This affected her performance until she opened up to Phelps and Bowman about her feelings. Subsequently, she began attending therapy to manage her mental health.

Allison Schmitt and Michael Phelps developed a close bond over the years. In a 2015 interview with NBC for the "Race to Gold" series, Phelps said,

“Allison is like my little sister, and I love her to death. We’re both in this together, and we both know it’s not going to be easy over this next year. We’re both there going through the same thing, and we’re there supporting each other through it all.”

Meanwhile, Phelps has continued to be a source of inspiration for Allison as she detailed in the same interview,

“I look up to him so much, and it’s been awesome. Anything he says to me, whether it’s something outside the pool or inside the pool, I take that advice to heart.”

Allison Schmitt even lived with Michael Phelps and his wife, Nicole Phelps, for some time before the 2016 Olympics. Despite Phelps stepping away from competitive swimming, the two have remained very close.